"Breakdown" by Sara Paretsky


Shape-shifting raven Carmilla, Queen of the Night, is the latest fictional sensation sweeping the lives of girls all over the world.  One night a group of tween girls in Chicago hold an initiation ritual in an abandoned cemetery as part of their Carmilla Club.  The group include daughters of some of Chicago's most powerful families.  But while there, they come upon a corpse, stabbed through the heart in a vampire-style slaying.  

When V.I. Warshawski is called by her cousin to bring the girls home, she doesn't realize that she is about to stumble into an elaborate murder investigation, one that involves a fellow investigator, illegal immigrants, mental illness, right-wing politics, television pundits and more bodies.

Breakdown by Sara Paretsky is the fifteenth book in the V.I. Warshawksi series, and the first book of the series I have read.  I love the fact that this series has been going on since 1982 and I can see why.  V.I. is a tough, no nonsense investigator who is highly likeable for her commitment to justice.  She is an excellent series character and I can see why these books have developed such a following.

The plot of this book was timely.  It hits the current climate of right-wing politics in America hard and doesn't pull any punches.  It's like a look at the effects of Fox News, if Fox News had too much caffeine that morning.  It's a little over the top but at the same time an interesting commentary on what politics could become.  

I picked up this book after seeing ads and reading reviews of the series that promised page-turning action.  As someone who is new to the mystery genre but really enjoying what I have been reading, I looked forward to this one.  I have to admit it did disappoint a little.  I found it took a little long to get into all of the action and there was a lot of time spent building up background to the story.  While it did pick up in the middle, I found the end wrapped up a little too quick and a little too neat.

That being said I'm not overly disappointed with this book.  I like the way a bunch of different people with different circumstances were all tied to the same investigation, making it difficult for the reader to figure out the mystery.  I like that V.I. is not your typical investigator.  It seems that this is just not one of the best in the series.  I don't caution you to stay away from the series or this book, instead I suggest starting with an early novel if this is your introduction to V.I. Warshawski. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"The Guestbook" by Holly Martin

Image
Welcome to Willow Cottage - throw open the shutters, let in the sea breeze and make yourself completely at home.  Oh, and please do leave a comment in the Guestbook! Annie Butterworth is the landlady of Willow Cottage, a beautiful cottage in the English countryside with a colourful array of guests.  Every guest is encouraged to write their thoughts in the guestbook and do they ever!  Love, loss, happiness, sadness, guilt, affairs, births, and surprises, it’s all in there.  Even Annie’s life gets caught up in the book. As a young widow, Annie herself is going through some changes.  And the appearance of her brother-in-law, celebrity crime writer Oliver Black isn’t helping.  As the guests of Willow Cottage go about their seaside vacations, Annie and Oliver must figure out how to move on in their lives, and most importantly, if they will do so together. The Guestbook by Holly Martin is a lovely, sweet, and unique book.  Written in the format of notes left in the guestbook,
Read more

"Dreaming of Elsewhere: Observations on Home" by Esi Edugyan

Image
“But where are you from, really?” This is a question that Canadians of all walks of life are often asked.  Part of our identity as Canadians is that we all come from somewhere else, and no matter how long ago, it is a defining part of who we are.   But for many people, this question is about more than where their family came to Canada from.  For many, it brings about a question of home and belonging.  These are the ideas that Esi Edugyan explored in her 2013 Henry Kreisel Memorial Lecture, Dreaming of Elsewhere: Observations on Home .  Born in Canada to parents from Ghana, Esi Edugyan has travelled to and lived in various countries, all the while searching for her identity and coming to understand the meaning of home. As an author, Edugyan also reflects on Canadian literature and the notion of the “Canadian story.”  Her wildly successful novel, Half-Blood Blues , was set outside of Canada, and something she often heard was that it was not a typical Canadian novel.  But a
Read more

Literary Giveaway Blog Hop

Image
I am so excited to be participating in the Literary Giveaway Blog Hop, hosted by Judith at Leeswammes' Blog . There are over 50 participants hosting giveaways on their blog between October 15 and October 19. Be sure to hop around and check out all the awesome giveaways! My Giveaway Award season is underway in the Canadian literary world and to celebrate I would like to send someone some fabulous Canadian literature. One lucky winner will be able to choose which book they would like me to send them. Here are the choices (click on title to find out more about the book): A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews (bought at library sale) Life of Pi by Yann Martel The Last River Child by Lori Ann Bloomfield The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden (bought at library sale) Two of the books were bought at a library sale as mentioned. They are still in good condition but are obviously well-loved and do still have the library stickers on them. The other t
Read more